McDonald’s Lands Near Bottom
Emma Ayers | June 13, 2025
(The Washington Times) — In-N-Out’s fries may not be everyone’s favorite, but according to tens of thousands of Yelp reviewers, they’re the best in the country.
A new analysis of more than 40,000 online reviews ranked the West Coast burger chain No. 1 for its french fries, giving the California-based company a 3.86 out of 5 average.
That was enough to beat out nationwide competitors with far larger footprints and knock McDonald’s fries down to second-to-last place.
The rankings, compiled by restaurant furnishing company Seating Masters, evaluated 25 locations per brand and found that In-N-Out’s daily fresh-cut fries stood out for their quality and consistency.
Shake Shack came in second with a 3.7 rating, followed by Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers at 3.59.
Southern regional chain Bojangles placed fourth for its seasoned fries, while Chick-fil-A’s waffle fries secured fifth — praised for their crispiness and sauce-friendly design.
McDonald’s and Burger King didn’t just miss the top spots — they nearly hit rock bottom. Burger King managed a 1.92 average across 623 reviews, barely edging out McDonald’s 1.91 score from more than 1,300 reviews.
The lowest-rated fries in the country belonged to KFC, which landed dead last with a 1.77 average across 175 reviews from 50 locations.
Here are the top 10 rankings, based on the data compiled from Seating Masters:
- In-N-Out Burger – 3.86
- Shake Shack – 3.7
- Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers – 3.59
- Bojangles – 3.51
- Chick-fil-A – 3.4
- Raising Cane’s – 3.24
- Zaxby’s – 2.98
- Arby’s – 2.89
- Hardee’s – 2.86
- Checkers/Rally’s – 2.84
Critics cited a lack of freshness and inconsistency in mass production as reasons some of the biggest brands fell flat. By contrast, chains that prep potatoes on-site or stick to smaller menus seemed to score higher with fry fans.
